skip to main |
skip to sidebar
FIGHT FICTION: WHY I FIGHT
J. ADAMS OAKS
Left alone for days on end, twelve-and-a-half-year-old Wyatt Reaves burns down the family house. His parents lose everything—including control—so Wyatt’s uncle, Spade, whisks him away to "safety."
Spade may not feel tenderly toward his strapping nephew, but he does see potential in the boy: To earn money. In the bare-fist fighting racket. The two travel across America for the next six years, living off Wyatt’s earnings and the goodness of his uncle’s ladyfriends. As Wyatt develops a sense of who he isn’t, he must question who he is—and what he’s really worth.
FIGHT FICTION: THE MAKING OF A FIGHTER
WILL WEAVER
A tale of two brothers struggling to hold on to family and self in the face of a new life.
The older and smaller brother copes with his size by learning to channel rage. Eventually, he would turn to prize fighting as an outlet. The younger, studious brother becomes part of the boxing team but also observes the changes in character as fame and wealth intrude into their lives.
FIGHT FICTION: BODY SHOTS TO THE HEART!
PHILIP MCGRATH
Tyrone Fallon is a boxer. He is a contender. Tyrone is the local boy; he is meeting "King" Billy Mason for the British Featherweight crown. Trufax is a tough Yorkshire town and the locals are rooting for their boy against the title holder. But there is another person in the ring with Tyrone - his dead father, and the weight of his past. Tyrone is fighting more than Billy Mason; he is fighting his own ghosts, his own demons.
Set in the tough world of professional boxing, this is a sensitive and profound examination of one man's life, centred around just one fight.
During his boxing career, author Philip McGrath fought two men who later fought for the World Feather Weight Title - Floyd Robertson and Rafui King. While at light weight, in a black and white televised fight he fought Maurice Cullen, losing on points, and also beat the Canadian Champion Eddie Beattie at Wembley.
FIGHT FICTION: FIGHT OF THE CENTUREY IN HONOLULU
KIRBY WRIGHT
I knew Wayne could hurt me if I didn’t keep my gloves up and elbows in. But he was tiring too. I glanced past the top hose and saw Chip Morningstar and Bernie Fredman. Wayne had made it his annual tradition to write “To a Real Panty Waist” in Chip’s yearbook. He’d told Bernie his nose was big because air was free. I spotted Ken Ito—Wayne had humiliated him at our sophomore class picnic by yanking off his trunks and making him run naked past the girls. I summoned my strength and threw a right that fell short.
Wayne countered with a left that sailed over my head. I got in close, crouched, and swung my left up in an arc. I delivered a bolo punch that struck Wayne in the heart. He winced and backed up. It was against the hoses that I threw a second bolo that looped over his right shoulder and banged his head with such force that it felt as if I’d busted my hand. He had to hold on to the hoses to keep from falling.
CUTMAN CONTEST!
NOW THROUGH CHRISTMAS, MEL ODOM IS RUNNING A CONTEST DRAWING FOR FREE COPIES OF FIGHT CARD: THE CUTMAN OVER AT HIS ADVENTURES IN WRITING BLOG . . .
FOR DETAILS CLICK HERE
THE ST. PAUL THUNDERBOLT!
COMING SOON . . .
Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt is Clay Moyle's second biography and a worthy successor to his critically acclaimed tome concerning the life and career of Sam Langford.
Hall of fame boxer Billy Miske was arguably the most courageous and inspirational figure in boxing history, and his story is long overdue. During a career that was impeded and cut short as a result of his ongoing battle with a terminal illness, Billy fought a number of the greatest fighters who ever lived, including the likes of Jack Dillon, Harry Greb and Jack Dempsey.
The thrilling details and stories surrounding those fights and those of many other ring legends are all here, brought back to life for the reader to enjoy. The books goes far beyond simply chronicling Miske's career, but provides the reader with an in-depth view of a number of the sport's greatest contests and one of the more remarkable periods in boxing history.
Miske's courage and perseverance in the face of his impending death, and his personal sacrifice to provide his family with one last Christmas to remember him by, will tug at your heartstrings and leave you with an indellible image of the man.
BISH’S TOP 10 ALTERNATE BOXING MOVIES LIST!
A cursory check of the Internet quickly turns up a ring-full of listings for Top 10 Boxing Films, most of which are as predictable as the fate of a Rocky opponent.
Virtually all start with The Professional, The Harder They Fall, and Fat City and end with Rocky, Million-Dollar Baby, and Raging Bull. The four films in-between may vary slightly, leaning either toward noir (The Set-Up), the maudlin (The Champ), or the politically correct (Hurricane) – rarely do they even consider the inspiring.
I love the Rocky films – yes, all of them, even Rocky V – because when I walk out of the theater or pop one out of the DVD, I feel great – I feel . . . inspired! Despite the predictability, I am always carried away from the mundane and made to feel, whatever my problems are, I can punch my way through. Okay, okay, so the feeling is ridiculous. I don’t care. I crave the effect like an inspiration junkie.
Million Dollar Baby is a great film – one of my all-time favorites – but it is less about boxing and more about the moral dilemma faced by characters dealing with tragic consequences. It was an amazing short story (from the collection Rope Burns by F. X, Toole) and an amazing film. It made you think – something most films, let alone boxing films, don’t want you to do. It inspired, but in a different way than the blatantly feel-good Rocky films.
For me, Raging Bull is an overrated boxing movie – overshadowed by DeNiro’s foul-mouthed performance. I appreciated the acting, but I came away ultimately depressed – not the effect I want from my favorite genre of film.
For me a boxing film doesn’t have to always end with a Rockyesque flair, but there needs to be an ultimate triumph. The Professional and Fat City are good films, but are complete downers in their attempt to show the fight game in a realistic light. Who wants realistic? Not me . . . I go to the movies to be entertained.
So, while I appreciate the movies on most top ten boxing films lists, I want to go beyond those usual pugilists and take a look at a top ten list of boxing films that ‘coulda been’ contenders . . . boxing flicks that entertain and inspire in the same way the Rocky series does . . .
Let’s be clear – After thirty-five years “on the job,” I’ve never seen a cop movie or television series that comes anywhere near real life. Doctors of my acquaintance start to hyperventilate at the mere mention of an episode of House or ER. Things aren’t any different with boxing films.
The films on my list are not going to please or satisfy boxing purists – but that’s not their reason for being. As long as I can ‘suspend my disbelief’ over the fight scenes, if they are choreographed well, and look cool . . . I’m happy.
Also, since I don’t want to have to argue with myself, the following films are listed by release date rather than personal preference.
BISH’S ALTERNATE TOP TEN BOXING FILMS
1. KID GALAHAD – 1962
ELVIS PRESLEY / GIG YOUNG / LOLA ALBRIGHT / CHARLES BRONSON
In what is often rated as one of his best films, immortal heartthrob Elvis Presley stars as Walter Gulick, an ex-G.I. who returns to his rustic hometown in upstate New York looking to work as an auto mechanic.
Circumstances cause Walter to intercede on a lady's behalf, decking one of the top fighters in shady promoter Willy Grogan’s stable. Grogan, knowing talent when he sees it, ropes the ambitions, but naïve, Walter into taking a shot in a legitimate ring. With his loyal trainer, Lew Nyack, at his side, the iron-jawed, anvil-fisted Elvis quickly becomes the top-drawing champion "Kid Galahad."
When the mob (inevitably) tries to muscle in on the action, the cool-headed fighter is forced to pull no punches in the ultimate bout to protect his honor and his dreams.
For this role, Presley was tutored in the arts of pugilism by former world junior welterweight champ Mushy Callahan, who appeared in the film. The reigning welterweight champion Orlando De La Fuente also appeared in the film as Ramon "Sugar Boy" Romero.
Elvis’ voice gives the romantic soundtrack a kick, and his performance as a fighter is pretty good. Yes, it’s an Elvis film, and, yes, it’s sappy, but it’s also fun. A knockout hit for the entire family.
2. HARD TIMES – 1975
CHARLES BRONSON / JAMES COBURN / JILL IRELAND /STROTHER MARTIN
Hard Times was the perfect vehicle for the craggy-faced Charles Bronson, here paired up with his Magnificent Seven co-star James Coburn, in Walter Hill’s directorial debut and first fistic masterpiece.
Bronson inhabits the character of Chaney like a second skin, playing the taciturn, ageing (Bronson was fifty-four at the time of filming), 1930's depression bareknuckle boxer as a man literally fighting to make ends meet.
Coburn is Speed, the fast-talking wheeler-dealer manager with gambling issues. And Strother Martin is pitch perfect as the cutman, Poe, a direct descendant of Edgar Allan.
1930s New Orleans is as bleak and harsh as the depression itself. Bronson knows his body will betray him soon, but until then, he figures to let his fists do the talking – and they speak very loudly.
Bronson is one of my cinematic heroes. The Magnificent Seven, Mr. Majestic, The Mechanic, Death Wish, and many others … Hard Times tops them all.
3. THE CONTENDER – 1979
MARC SINGER / MOSES GUNN / KATHERINE CANNON
Originally a five-part miniseries, The Contender was also made available as a pared-down feature film.
Better known as The Beastmaster and for his role in the television show V: The Series, Marc Singer is perfectly cast as Johnny Captor – an amateur boxer from Coos Bay, Oregon, with Olympic aspirations.
When his dad commits suicide, Johnny decides to forego his college studies and amateur status in order to support his mom and brother by boxing professionally.
Moses Gunn costars as Captor's trainer George Beifus, who vicariously relives his own glory days in the ring through Johnny. Katherine Cannon is the obligatory girl friend who hates boxing and wants Johnny to quit.
Guided by Beifus – a former prizefighter who believes Johnny will be the next "great white hope" – the series follows Johnny as he struggles to become a world champion.
The Contender ran on the CBS TV in 1980. Hard to find, but worth tracking down.
4. STREETS OF GOLD – 1986
KLAUS MARIA BRANDAUER / ADRIAN PASDAR / WESLEY SNIPES
This little gem about redemption and vindication still resonates with me. It is an excellent portrayal of the underdog going for glory.
The fight scenes are more realistic than most, which doesn’t give them quite the pop of other more dramatic boxing movie fight scenes, but they still work because the viewer is aware of the realism being sought.
Brandauer is Alek, an immigrant from the Soviet Union. A talented boxer in his day, he was kept off the Soviet Olympic team because he was a Jew. Once a national hero, he is now a dishwasher in the Russian immigrant conclave of Brighton Beach in the Bronx, he is angry and depressed.
Walking the streets one night Alek sees street fighting Roland (Snipes) in a brawl. Afterward, Alek gives Roland an unwanted boxing lesson. This is seen by Timothy Boyle (Pasdar) who later seeks out Alek to train him.
A feud develops between Roland and Boyle, which is only partially resolved when Alek agrees to train them both.
And what are they fighting for? A spot on the American team set to take on a Russian boxing squad.
Okay, you can see the final fight being set up even as you read this. It doesn’t matter. The complications leading toward vindication for the fighters and redemption for their trainer all drop comfortably into place, but you know you’re going to be there when the final punch is thrown and somebody hits the canvas.
5. THE POWER OF ONE – 1992
STEPHEN DORFF / MORGAN FREEMAN
From the director of Rocky and The Karate Kid, comes an almost unheard of movie based on a truly inspirational book by Bryce Courtney.
Seen through the prism of Apartheid, The Power of One uses boxing (and some astounding African scenery) as a journey for the human spirit, following one young man's perilous quest to unite men from all races.
The themes of the film have their political detractors (the ‘great white hope’ saves the indigenous peoples), but I wasn’t concerned with the politics. I was concerned and involved with the story of P. K., an orphan outsider in Africa – even among white South Africans because of his English birthright – who uses his fists to rise above incredible abuse. Along the way he unites an entire country and honors the man (Morgan Freeman) who trained him.
See the movie if you can find it, but put the book at the top of your must read list.
6. GIRLFIGHT – 2000
MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ / SANTIAGO DOUGLAS
A smoldering, Brando channeling, Michelle Rodriguez had her breakout role as Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who gets control of her aggression by training to become a boxer. She, of course, does this in spite of the skepticism of her abusive father and the prospective trainers in the male-dominated sport.
First-time director/writer Karyn Kusama earns her chops through the compelling unfolding of events as Diane, a scowling lightning rod for sudden violence, discovers a sense of personal grace in boxing. The discipline demanded in the ring inevitably transfers into Diane’s daily life as she fights back against her difficult circumstances.
This is Rodriguez’ film right from the start. She is absolutely believable as a female boxer, in a time before women were recognized as legitimate contenders in the sport.
Rodriguez’s commanding presence makes even the Rocky-like implausibility of the film’s climatic battle work as Rodriquez/Diana is thrown into the ring against a male opponent with whom she is romantically entangled.
Girlfight is straightforward and familiar, but it was clearly made with a sense of passion and pride in the uncharted territory it represented for women at the time. Girlfight is engaging and even touching.
7. UNDISPUTED – 2002
WESLEY SNIPES / VING RHAMES / PETER FALK
After Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was sent to prison for rape, this film became inevitable.
A high-concept movie pitch if there ever was one: The heavyweight champion of the world gets sent to prison for rape (how close to the Tyson case could they get) where he squares off against the man who ‘coulda been a contender.’
Directed by action maven Walter Hill, Undisputed is a suspenseful boxing drama with great action sequences and well defined characters. The film plays far better than the exploitive plotline on which it is based.
Hill’s self-proclaimed love of boxing is constantly in evidence as Monroe (Snipes) faces down James Iceman Chambers (Rhames) in a boxing match to determine who is the best, while an elderly mobster (Falk) pulls the strings to control a warden who doesn’t want the final match to take place.
Scenery chewing is rampant, but so it should be – this is over the top, mano-a-mano, last man standing fisticuffs of the first order.
Undisputed didn’t score a knockout at the box office, but it became a big enough cult hit to spawn two sequels.
And here is the beautiful and surprising final punch: Both Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and Undisputed III: Redemption are both worth watching for fight movie fans.
8. BLACK CLOUD – 2004
EDDIE SPEARS / RUSSELL MEANS / JULIA JONES
“The Will Of A Warrior. The Heart Of A Champion.” With a tag line like that, you know I’m going to be in the movie theater opening night.
Written by Ricky Schroder (yes, that Ricky Schroder, the kid from The Champ all grown up), Black Cloud, is an inspirational story about a young Navajo, Native American boxer, who overcomes personal challenges as he comes to terms with his heritage, while fighting his way for a spot on the US Olympic boxing team.
Black Cloud (Eddie Spears) is the name of the young Navajo man, who must take a journey of personal growth (is there any other kind?) to prepare himself for a chance at boxing in the Olympics.
There is a lot of culture clashing as Black Cloud lives up to his name before understanding his personal silver lining. By that time he’s in the finals of a tournament , squaring off against Rocket Ray Tracy, the number one ranked Light Heavyweight fighter who is planning on turning pro after the tournament.
A small film with limited distribution, worth checking out via Netflix or other DVD outlet.
9. CINDERELLA MAN – 2005
RUSSELL CROWE / RENÉE ZELLWEGER / PAUL GIAMATTI
This story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s, is just as inspiring today.
While quite appropriate, I think the title stopped the film from reaching a wider audience – being called a Cinderella Man in the 1930s had a whole lot different connotation than it does today.
While Charles Bronson’s fictional Hard Times character was beating on the Great Depression with his bare knuckles, real life common-man hero, James J. Braddock – a.k.a. the Cinderella Man – was using his gloved fists to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history.
The impoverished ex-prizefighter was seemingly as broken-down, beaten-up and out-of-luck as much of the rest of the American populace who had hit rock bottom. His career appeared to be finished, he was unable to pay the bills, the only thing that mattered to him – his family – was in danger, and he was even forced to go on Public Relief.
This was before the entitlement generation of today. Rightly or wrongly, for a man like Jim Braddock, going on public assistance (unemployment) was akin to losing his manhood.
But deep inside, Jim Braddock never relinquished his determination. Driven by love, honor and an incredible dose of grit, he willed an impossible dream to come true.
In a last-chance bid to help his family, Braddock returned to the ring. No one thought he had a shot. However Braddock, fueled by something beyond mere competition, kept winning.
Suddenly, the ordinary working man became the mythic athlete ... The real 99% rose up to support him. Not only did he not let them down in the fight of his life, but he didn’t go to Disneyland afterward – instead, he went back to the public assistance office and paid back every cent ‘loaned’ to him.
Crowe gives an outstanding, restrained performance in the film. He is believable both as Braddock and as a caring family man torn by his conscious and what he sees as a man’s role in society.
This one should have you cheering. I certainly was.
10. WARRIOR – 2011
JOEL EDGERTON /TOM HARDY/ NICK NOLTE
I hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth already. Get over it! Times change.
People are screaming, “But Warrior isn’t a boxing film, it’s a MMA (mixed martial arts) film!”
To that I say, “Bunk!”
Warrior is every bit as much a boxing film as Rocky. Just because the fighters have a ground game as well as a stand-up, doesn’t mean a thing – the set-up and pay-off is the same.
That said, being a boxing snob, I wasn’t much of a MMA fan (I think the words, “nothing more than alley fighting,” may have crossed my lips, and I couldn’t have been more wrong) until I saw this film and followed it up by reading Sam Sheridan’s excellent non-fiction fight travelogue, A Fighter’s Heart.
I now understand much more about the sport and, while some of it is still just alley fighting, I can see how difficult it is at the higher levels.
Warrior is the tale of two estranged brothers. One is a brooding loner, a Marine back from Iraq. The other is a family man, a high school teacher struggling to make ends meet. Both hate their alcoholic father (Nick Nolte), with good reason, even though he is attempting to make amends.
Both brothers are fighters. Both have reasons for attempting a comeback. Both find different unconnected ways to qualify for the biggest MMA tournament ever. And, of course, both start from different ends of the tournament chart, leading (inevitably) to their face-off in the finals.
Cliché? Yes. Predictable? Yes? Did I love every second of it? Absolutely! Well acted, well written, and amazingly filmed. One of my favorite films of 2011. It should be out on video December 20th. See it!
There you have it – my choices for an Alternate Top 10 Boxing Films list, which avoids the easy and common choices of most Top 10 Boxing Films picks. With a little effort, most can be tracked down on DVD and will provide solid entertainment with a punch.
FIGHT FICTION: BEFORE THEY FALL!
AT THE BIJOU CONTINUES ITS NOVEMBER GOES NOIR OFFERINGS WITH A TOUGH ADDITION TO FISTICUFFS, PALOOKAS, AND NOIR . . . BEFORE THEY FALL, A TAUGHT TALE FROM PUSHCART NOMINEE KEVIN MICHAELS . . .
It was a short hook to the body that took the fight out of me. A nothing punch in the fifth round – but once it connected the strength and will to go on drained away.
The problem was that I needed to make it through the fifth round so I could go down in the sixth. That’s the way it was supposed to happen and I couldn’t do anything to change that.
Not if I wanted to get off the hook with Matty “Two Fingers” Howard.
And not if I didn’t want bigger problems than the ones I already had.
FOR THE FULL BLOW BY BLOW CLICK HERE
BIONIC BOPPER BOXING ROBOTS
Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots are a classic toy, passed down from parent to child for a few generations. It was a simple dynamic that wormed its way into the hearts of millions. The aim of the game was to control a clunky toy robot, aiming its clunky toy fists at its rival robot’s head until it shot upward. It was a game as simple, and nearly as vicious, as Hungry Hungry Hippos. With time, however, comes innovation and upgrades to classics. Monopoly has gone digital and even Scrabble has had a few facelifts.
The Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em bots have changed a little from their classic look, but never quite like this. These life size bots the size of bumper cars try to make the game all too real. The Bionic Bopper robots allow users to climb inside and control the robot fists much more closely. Of the potentially dangerous robotic duo, their site states:
“These are the motorized boxers controlled by two drivers who battle to deliver chin-lifting uppercuts for victory. Similar to bumper cars, a driver up to 300 lbs. sits inside the robot's protective steel cage cockpit and uses a thumb-triggered button on two independent joysticks to activate two pneumatic-powered, tire-tread-fisted arms, which throw upward punches at an opposing robot's head. A successful hit sends an opposing robot's head back, scoring a point.”
No worries, two friends can duke it out inside some Bionic Boppers without causing any permanent damage. A safety cage shields each user from getting hurt. To get the real Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em experience you’ll just have to get into a regular fist fight. The gas powered boxers, however, do come at a hefty price. A set of two costs a total of $17,000.
TO SEE MORE ON THE BIONIC BOPPERS AT HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER'S PRODUCT SITE CLICK HERE
FIGHT COMICS: SUPER BOXERS ~ JUSTICE BE DONE
A MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL
RON WILSON / JOHN BYRNE / ARMANDO GIL
In the not so distant future corrupt and ineffective governments no longer rule the people of earth. Large corporations such as Aerotech, Ben Clair Oil and Delcosmetics control everything from the police force to sporting events.
For corporate big wigs life is fantastic and everything is at their disposal, but for the masses life is hard and tedious. The only thing that the corporates and the common man have in common is sport and their is only one sport – Super Boxing.
Near superhuman athletes wear body armor, jet boots and superpowered gloves to boost their already considerable attributes to levels so powerful that every bout could end in death. Roman Alexis is the corporate champion born and bred to be the best, undefeated in 200 bouts.
Max Turner is a near perfect specimen who fights in the rough underground rings, he is undefeated except for 2 draws. Max's fierce fighting and impressive record draws the attention of the corporate higher ups who set-up a match between Roman and Max. It's big business versus the common man and only one can survive.
FIGHT FICTION: NO FLESH WILL BE SPARED!
THOM CARNELL
KINDLE EDITION $4.99
MMA MEETS ZOMBIES IN THE PIT . . . COOL!
Set in a near future where society has dealt with the global outbreak of the Living Dead, a new highly lucrative international sport, zombie pit fighting, emerges. No Flesh Shall Be Spared is the story of Cleese, his recruitment and rise to supremacy in this violent world where every match could be his last. The Dead will fall. Friends will die. The question that arises is that of Cleese's fate in the ensuing mayhem.
FIGHT FICTION: FOUL FIGHT WITH A PIT VIPER
ROBERT EVANS
THE O'QUINN FIGHTS #2
KINDLE EDITION $1.50
Things go awry from the moment Staff Sergeant Mickey O'Quinn arrives in Qatar. SSG O'Quinn, the brawling mixed martial arts fighter from the 4th Infantry Division, finds himself going from rescuing a frightened young American woman to landing in the middle of the toughest and deadliest underground MMA bout of his life. Will O'Quinn win the fight and the girl? Or has he finally taken on too much?
FIGHT FICTION: BASEMENT BRAWL!
ROBERT EVANS
THE O’QUINN FIGHTS #1
KINDLE EDITION $1.99
In this first outing of a new short story series by Staff Sergeant Robert Evans, Sergeant O'Quinn finds himself battling in an underground mixed martial arts fight in Iraq. Is the fight really just two men battling, or is it a setup for something far more dangerous for the American soldiers involved?
FIGHT FICTION: FIGHT STORIES
NICK SMITH
Thrilling action from the bloodstained canvas of the fighting ring! Eleven action-packed stories from the pen of no-holds-barred fighting's most exciting writer. Smell the blood and sweat as the toughest and craziest bare knuckle fighters crack heads in 200 pages of Fight Stories!
Cage fights in Newcastle were as crooked as a combatant's nose and made a tidy sum for the local gangsters. But then Ukraine's best heavyweight rolled into town and all bets were off.
Now the crowd would see the real Red Menace. Rozon was the toughest no-rules fighter to leave Brazil. But when he said 'I'll Fight the Devil Himself' he didn't expect it to actually happen! Just how do you fight a demon from hell?
Also includes: Verdun Fight Club 1916; The Dreams of Harry Wilde; The Ninja Scroll; Sucker Punch; The Bearers of Thunder; The Loneliest Place; Brawl by the Beach; Commander Chaos; A Quiet Autumn in Greenfield Village
WAYNE DUNDEE REVIEWS THE CUTMAN!
EXCITING, ENTERTAINING SLICE OF PULP ACTION!
This is the second title in the exciting Fight Card series co-created (and also written, at least for the first two entries) by Paul Bishop and Mel Odom. Like Bishop's Felony Fists, Odom's The Cutman scores an on-the-button KO in the grand old pulp style of the "sports pulp" magazines from the '30s and '40s.
Set in Havana, Cuba, 1954, The Cutman centers on Mickey Flynn, a seaman in port for a few days from the ship Wide Bertha. Mick is a Korean War vet raised in a Chicago orphanage with his brother Patrick. At St. Vincent's Asylum for Boys (aka Our Lady of the Glass Jaw), both brothers were schooled by the nuns, but also educated in the "sweet science" of boxing by Father Tim, the fighting priest.
This background has left Mickey a tough, competent warrior hardened by conflict in the streets, in rings, and on the battlefield. Never looking for trouble, but also never backing down from any, his simple goal these days is to be loyal to his ship, his captain, his crew –and in the process see as much of the world as he can.
Mob-run Havana in the early '50s, however, proves not an easy place for somebody like Mickey Flynn to stay out of trouble. In no time at all, Mick and his shipmates have tangled with some local mob thugs, gotten in a brawl at a club where illegal boxing matches are staged in the back room, and suffered retaliation in the form of having Wide Bertha looted and the captain's entire stash of money ripped off. The only bright spot is the dalliance with a lovely barmaid that Mick manages to fit in, but even that comes with consequences.
In the climactic final battle, to save his ship and maybe his life, Mick must once more climb into the ring and face the mob's top boxer, a savage technician known to enjoy punishing and pounding his opponents into hamburger before he's through with them . . . But then, he's never faced a street-tough, Irish-stubborn, war-tempered student of Fighting Father Tim before.
Odom's writing and pacing are pitch-perfect, the sense of time and place is solid, and the characters are colorful and memorable. Exciting entertainment not to be missed!
